Method of rendering wood insect-bepellent



J. KRUSE.

METHOD OF RENDERING woon INSECT REPELLENTP APPLICATION FILED AUG. H. 1911.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

/ 21 l tk John 164 5 :NvEN'roR WiTN ESSES ATTORNEY STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Joan muss, or raw omens, momma.

xnmon or nnnnnamo woon msncr-nnrnnnnnr.

Toallw homit may concern.- I Be it known that 1, Joan Karen, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful Method of Renderin Wood Insect-Repellent, of which the fol owing is a specification.

This invention'has reference to a method of rendering wood insect-repellent, and its object is to prepare wood-in such a manner that it may be used for many purposes, 1ncluding the protection of furniture and the like, against the incursions of ants and other roamin insects.

By the present invention, unsightly appendages to furniture are avoided, the use of liquid eliminated, and the protection afforded may be applied in a manner to have an ornamental appearance, without in any way weakening "the structure to which the invention is applied.

The invention consists in impregnating wood with a substance not only repellent, but destructive to insects such as ants, bed bu and other roami insects sometimes in e stin households an finding their way .up the egs 'of household furniture to the annoyance of persons living in thehouse,

and frequently contaminating food, especially such asfinay be left upon tables or stored in ice-boxes or other storage laces.

- 'The invention will be best un erstood :l5roma consideration of the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the articles shown in the drawings constitute but a small fraction of the many articles 'to which the invention .is applicable and therefore the practical application of the invention isn'ot in any manner confined to the grotection of the two articles shown in the rawings. In the-drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly insection, of a tree protector prepared'in accordance I with the invention, the tree hein indicated in dotted lines ,withfthe proportions of the protector forthe tree greatly exaggerated;

Fig. 2, is an elevation,

partly in section, of the lower end of a logo a piece of fumi- Specification of Letters ram. Patented Aug. 12,1919.-. Application an August 11, um. Serial no. iamea.

ture, illustrating another application of the invention.

'In practising the invention, there is prepared an impregnating bath of water, blchlorid of mercury (commonl known as corrosive sublimate), and hy rochloric acid. These ingredients may be in the proportions of one pound of water. (rainwater preferred) one ounce of corrosive sublimate and one ounce of hydrochloric acid, preferably the chemically pure acid.

The wood, preferably elm wood is suit-,

ably shaped and is kiln-dried for fifteen to twenty minutes, depending upon conditions present, and when taken out of the dry-kiln 15 immediately submerged in the impregnating solution andke t there until it is thoroughlfyysaturated t is beingindicated by the t that t or wood then sinks.

Finally, the wood is taken from the-imp nating bath and allowed to dry natura when it is ready for anv purpose for which it is adapted. The bichlorid of'mercury is not only highly oisonous to the insectsbut its corrosive qua ities make it highly repellent to the insects. The purpose of the hydrochloric acid is to open up the pores of the wood to a greater extenttlian this is done by heat alone, so that the impregnation of the wood is morethcrough and the quan- 'tity absorbed by thewoo'd and also present.

ed on' the surface of the wood is eater than would 'occur qwere the hydroc orioacid absent. The hydrochloric acid serves to an extent as a carrier or vehicle for the bichlorid of mercury. I Since the wood is thoroughly saturated, it may be sha to shape the .wood before in regnation to save handling materials whi are highly detriinentalto human be lifter impregnation, but generally it is preferable The impregnated wo dif is particularly P designed wooden blocks which may adapted for the manufacture of sficially produced either before or after imp atlon These blocks which are shown, am; ed and claimed in ano er a plicatio'n filed by me on even date herewit for insect-proofattachments for furniture and other articles, are so arranged that the insect," in traveling over the furniture, must traverse and come in contact with the surface of the impregnated wood.

Examples of these blocks are given in Figs. 1 and 2. In Fig. 1, there 13 shown a ring-shaped block I, which may be considered as made of the impregnated wood, this block being shaped to encircle a tree indicated in dotted lines at 2. The block is provided with a central opening 3, whereby it may be made to encircle a tree and iscut as shown at 4 to permit its application to a tree. A ring or hoop 5 serves to bind the block upon a tree after application thereto: The block is provided on one side with a depending flange or apron 6, preferably inturned toward the tree, but sufliciently spaced from the opening 3 to make it necessary for an ant or. other like insect crawlin u the tree and reaching the block to craw uiilng an inner surface 7 constituting the bottom of the body of the block and then along an inner wall 8 of the depending flange 6 before it can reach the outer sur-' face of the block, which latter is protected by a coating 9 of varnish or paint or other suitable material which will revent actual contact with the impregnate wood. This last feature of the coating 9 is desi 'ed to protect human beings or animals which it is not designed to harm from contact with the corrosive and h' lily poisonous material with which the h ock is impregnated.

The insects, however, must necessarily come in contact with the poisoned surface where. unprotected by the coating 9, and consequently, the insects are either repelled or arekilled and so are prevented from reaching a. higher point than the location of the block.

In Fig. 2 there is shown a table or similar leg 10 to which there is applied a ringblock 11 with an annular flange 12 prqecting from one face and roviding a re cam 13. Another block 14 aving a body rtionwhich may be of ornamental conration, and an axial boss 15 terminating in a stem continuation 16 has the boss 15 in the chamber 13 concentric with the flange, 12, while the continuation 16 projects through a central a' rture in the 7 "block 11 and into the leg 10 w ere itmay be fastened in any suitable way, thus clampin the block 11 to the bottom of the leg 10 an above the block 14, the latter serving asa receiving means for a caster 17 or other up propriate support. The block 11 is provided with a protecting coating 18 of varnish or paint or the like gmilar to the coating 9 of F 1 and for e same purpose. 1

Int 0 showin of Fig. 2, an ant or other insect must trave up the block 14, along the boss 15, and thence along the inner surface of the chamber 18 before it can reach the outer face of the block 11, but during this course of trgvcl, the insect comes in contact with an exposed poisoned surface repellent. or fatal to the insect.

The protecting 'coatin 9 or 18, as the case may he, acts as a sa eguard when dust-' ing or sweeping or scrubbing, and prevents danger of contact as before stated especially by lplaying children, pet animals, etc.

he blocks may be so made that they become practically integrlil parts of the piece of furniture or article to which they are attached and cannot be disturbed b outside influences, and furthermore, are 153601111381] harmless except with respect to ants or other rovm insects. Moreover, they are more eflective and avoid the use of unsightly oil cans, saucers, ant tape and other devices which have been pro d and which need frequent attention. e impregnated blocks last for years and are entirely unnoticeable when a plied.

Besi es the two examples given in the drawings whereby a tree or a piece of furniture such as a. table is protected, blocks made in acordance with the invention may be used to protect ice-boxes, In w 0 and various other articles which it is desired should be protected from ants and other small roving insects.

When the device is applied to a tree or other object where the surface is uneven, like the bark ofvthe tree, for instance the depressions in the bark where the device is applied are filled with pitch or tar or other suitable substance, so as to prevent ants or other insects crawling w1111p e tree by any path except one which bring them to the re ellent material.

at is claimed is 1. The method of preparing wood for use as a. protection against t incursion of ants and other insects, which consists in imp'regnatin the wood with a solution in water of ichlorid of mercury and h drochloric 'acid, with the acid in s ient quantity to o n the res of the wood to an extent to fac itate. e entrance of the bichlorid of mercury intothe wood, and subsequently d the wood.

2. The mcth ofpregaring wood for use as a rotection against e incursion of ants,

cury being in suflicient quantity to be insectrepellent and serve as an insecticide, and then removing the saturated wood and a1- lowin it to spontaneously dry. a

3. e method of prepzring wood for use as a protection against t incursion of ants,

which consists in kiln-drying the wood, submerging it while hot in an a ueous solution of corrosive sublimate and hy rochloric acid in substantiallythe pro ortionof one ound In testimony that I claim the foregoing as of water, one ounce 0 corrosive sub imate my own, I have hereto affixed my signature 10 and one ounce of hydrochloric acid, with the in the presence of two witnesses.

wood remaining in the solution until it is impregnated to an extent causing it to sink JOHN KRUSE' and then removing the wood from the im- Witnesses:

pregnating hath and allowing it to dry spon- FRANCIS J. WOHLLEHEN,

taneously. RAYMOND F. SCHNEPP. 

